Can body cooler



Dec. l5, 1942. P. E. PEARsoN 2,305,387

CAN BODY COOLER FiledOCt. 8, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 15, 1942. P. E. P'EARSON 2,305,387

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P. E. PEARsoN 2,305,387

CAN BODY COOLER Filed Oct. 8, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Dec. 15, 1942. Ff. E. PEARsoN 2,305,387

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P.; PEARsoN CAN BODY COOLER Filed Oct. 8. 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 8* lll/l i @M 1 w f wml myn.. m 4 1 www l... im..

"Search .flown lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN BODY COOLER Paul E. Pearson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 8, 1940, Serial No. 360,312

Z Claims.

The invention relates generally to apparatus for conveying and cooling can bodies.

In order to protect products packaged in completed containers from direct contact with the metal of which the containers are formed, it is customary to provide the containers with interior protective coatings. This coating usually is applied to the blanks from which the can bodies are formed. In the formation of the can bodies, the blanks are fed along in a body maker, are formed about and side-seamed on a forming horn, and then, while the can bodies are being fed along on the horn, the side seams are suitably solder-bonded. The protective coating is omitted from the portions of the blanks which are joined in the formation of the side seams so that efi'icient solder-bonding can be effected. During the solder-bonding the can bodies become quite hot and problems have been presented in attempts to stripe-coat the internal uncoated portions of the hot can bodies about the side seams.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide novel means for cooling the can bodies and then applying the desired protective coating to the stripes of metal left bare in the region of the side seams internally of the bodies.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel skeleton horse or horn along which the can bodies are conveyed after leaving the side seam soldering station, and novel means for directing a can body cooling blast of air against the can body side seams, and through the skeleton horse for cooling can bodies travelling through the skeleton horse to the striping means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a skeleton horse of the character stated including one fixed side and one removable side, and novel means for removably mounting side removable side.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by following the detailed description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings- Figures 1 and 1a together comprise a somewhat diagrammatic plan view illustrating a can body former embodying the invention.

Figures 2 and 2a together comprise a somewhat diagrammatic side elevation of the former illustrated in Figures 1 and 1a.

the line 3-3 on Figure 2a.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail vertical cross section taken on the line I-l on Figure 2a.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevation illustrating one of the bracket halves which carry a lower and two upper rollers.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating a portion of the spray pipe, parts being shown in longitudinal section.

Figure 'I is a fragmentary plan view of the spray pipe and portion including the spray nozzle.

Figure 8 is a detail vertical cross section taken on the line 8-8 on Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal section illustrating the connection of the spray pipe with the stub horn.

Figure 10 is a detail vertical cross section taken on the line |0-I0 on Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the spray pipe coupling with the stub horn.

Figure 12 is a horizontal section of the horn and the connected stub horn.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line |3-I 3 on Figure 12.

Figure 14 is an end view of the stub horn.

Figure 15 is an end view of the spray nozzle in position in a travelling can body.

In the example of embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, the can body spraying or striping mechanism is shown applied to a standard form of body maker well known in the art and which will be readily recognized as including the usual blank feed station 5, grain breaking roll station 6, blank edge notching and hooking station section 1, and the usual forming station 8 at which the can bodies are formed about a usual form of expander horn 9 which merges in the usual manner into the stub horn generally designated I0 and along which the can bodies are fed by the usual reciprocating finger bar equipments, not shown.

From the stub horn, the formed can bodies are f ed in the usual manner into an outside horn composed of opposed half members Il equipped with half cylindrical can body receiving and guiding recesses and supported at l2 on the machine framing generally designated I3. The outside horn or horse I l extends to a point I4 a considerable distance beyond the soldering station generally designated l5, and the can bodies are fed through the outside horn Il and along the machine frame by the usual overhead feeder chain I6 which passes over supporting pulleys or sprockets generally designated l1 and over a driver sprocket I8. The chain is supported in suitable upper and lower supporting and guiding troughs I9 and carries the usual equi-distantly spaced gripper lugs by which the edges of the can bodies are gripped so that they partake of movement along their axes alone, and not about said axes.

All of the machine parts thus far described are well known and conventional, except for the fact that the machine framing is extended longitudinally a considerable distance beyond the point at which the framing ordinarily terminates. The purpose of this frame extension will become obvious as the description progresses.

A tank or tanks for containing cold lacquer or other suitable protective coating material which is to be applied in the form of a longitudinal stripe over the side seams internally of the travelling can bodies are mounted on or beside the machine, Preferably adjacent the forming station, as illustrated in Figure 1. A low pressure is maintained within these tanks for the purpose of delivering liquid therefrom, and for this purpose the tanks are connected through pipe lines 2|, and through suitable pressure regulating equipment generally designated 22, with a suitable pressure air source 23. From this same pressure source, and through the pressure regulating equipment generally designated 22, a high pressure atomizing air line 24 connects with an air duct 25 formed in the expander horn generally designated 9. The horn includes the usual reciprocable expander pin 26.

The cold lacquer or other protective coating liquid is delivered from the tank or tanks 29 through a pipe line 21 to the liquid duct 28 also formed in the expander horn, and the liquid and air ducts 28 and 25 are extended longitudinally in an enlargement or boss 29 formed in said horn. See Figures 1, 12 and 13. The ducts 28 and 25 are coupled as at 30 with stainless steel or brass tubing conduits 3| and 32, respectively, which pass through a hollow chamber 33 formed in the horn side plate 34 and connect with a boss or enlargement 35 in the chamber 36 of the stub horn Ill. The boss 35 has an axial bore 31 opening through a connecting boss 38, extending eccentrically of the horn near the bottom thereof and with which the liquid tube 3| connects as at 39, and a plurality of surrounding bores which extend through the end of the boss 35 and into a large counterbore 4| formed in said boss and with which the air tube 32 is coupled as at 42. The horn structures 9 and I6 also include a can body side seam receiving and aligning groove 43 which serves to hold the can body side seams in longitudinal alignment until they are gripped and controlled by the gripper lugs on the feeder chain I6 hereinbefore referred to.

While passing through the soldering station. the can bodies pick up considerable heat, and unless special lacquers or protective coatings are utilized, it is found that this heat must be dissipated before internal striping of the can bodies takes place in order to assure efficient striping and protective coating of said can bodies. It is, therefore, one of the outstanding purposes of the present invention to provide means for dissipating this heat and for applying the protective coating stripe to the can bodies after they have been rendered relatively cool so that eflicient protective coating of said can bodies can be effected.

It is for the purpose just above described that the machine framing is considerably extended beyond the terminus I4 of the outside horn or horse II, and beyond this terminus of the outside horn the can bodies are fed into a cooling horse in the form of a skeleton guide frame composed of two laterally spaced, relatively large supporting and guiding rods 44, and four smaller rods designated 45. The rods 44 and 45 are arranged with their axes disposed equidistantly at sixths about the axis along which the can bodies are fed, and the innermost surfaces of these rods are disposed in cooperative relation for effectively guiding the longitudinal movement of the can bodies after they leave the outside horn or horse II.

The rods 44 and 45 are supported in side sets of three each. In other words, the three rods disposed at each side of the axis along which the can bodies are fed, namely, one lower large rod 44 and two upper smaller rods 45, are mounted on one set of supporting devices, and the three rods disposed at the other side of said axis are mounted on a different set of supporting devices. The three rods disposed at the left side of the machine, that is, the side at the left looking in the direction in which the can bodies are being fed, are supported in side brackets 46 cach including a gripping portion 41, for gripping each rod 44 and 45, and being removably clamped upon a continuous mounting rod 48 extending longitudinally of the machine framing and supported in suitable bearings 49 on said framing.

The mounting rod at the opposite side of the machine is composed of short sections 50 each of which is mounted in a pair of bearings 5| mounted on a supporting pad 52 having an undercut 53. A removable stirrup 54 is associated with each of the bearing members 5| and is pivotally mounted on the respective supporting pad 52 in the manner best illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings. Each stirrup includes a securing screw 55 engageable with a clamping seat 56 and serves to removably secure the respective bearing 6| against the respective supporting pad undercut 53. By loosening the screws 55 and swinging the stirrups 54 downwardly to free the bearings 5|, said bearings can he slid laterally away from the undercuts 53, and the half portion of the skeleton horse mounted on the respective rod sections 50 comprising the rods 44 and 45 can be removed from the machine.

Each lower or heavy rod 44 of the skeleton horse is flattened as at 51, and these flattened portions of the rods are engaged by rollers 58 removably secured as at 59 on opposed clamp block half portions 60 having matching half cylindrical recesses 6I for clamping a spray pipe generally designated 62 between them at spaced intervals along the skeleton horse. One half portion 60 at each of the positions at which the spray pipe is clamped includes an integral, upwardly extended bracket 63 terminating in a T-head 64 to each end or lateral extremity of which a roller 65 is removably secured. The rollers 65 are secured in position for opposing the uppermost two of the smaller skeleton horse rods 45 in the manner best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. As previously stated, the rods 44 and 45 form a skeleton which encircles and guides the travelling can bodies in the manner illustrated in Figure 4. The can bodies are designated 66 and the side seams over which the cold stripe of lacquer or other protective coating material is to be laid are designated 61. As the can bodies 66 are fed along by the lugs of the feeder chain I6, they pass between the rollers 58 and 65 and the skeleton rods 44 and 45 hereinbefore referred to.

It will be observed by reference to Figures 6 to 10 of the drawings that the spray line gen- ".erally designated 62 comprises an outer tube 68 and an inner tube 69, the latter serving to provide alacquer or other liquid coating material conducting channel 10 and being spaced within the 'outer tube 68 so as to provide a surrounding atomizing air conducting space 1I between the tubes 68 and 69. The outer tube may be sleevecoupled at intervals as at 12, and the inner tube may be sleeve-coupled at intervals as at 13.

Where the spray line joins the stub horn connecting boss 38 it is secured to a coupling member 14 as at 15, and the coupling member is removably secured to the boss 39 by a coupling collar 16. The coupling member 14 includes a center bore 11 for centering the inner tube 69 and also includes surrounding bores or air passages 18 which communicate with the atomizing air space 1| surrounding the inner tube 69 and with the atomizing air bores 40 formed in the connecting boss 38. See Figures 9, 10 and 11 of the drawings.

Near the end of the skeleton horse a spray nozzle generally designated 19 is mounted on the spray line 62. The nozzle is carried at the end of a short length of spray tube generally designated 80 and which, like the line 62, includes an outer tube 8| and a concentrically spaced inner tube 82. The tube 80 is fixed to a coupling member 83 which is suitably headed to retain the female coupling sleeve 84 by which removable attachment is made to the male coupling member 85 secured to the' end of the spray line 62 in the manner best illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings. Each of the coupling members 83 and 85 includes a central bore 96 for centering the respective inner tubes 69 and 82. and surrounding bores or air passages 81 for affording communication between the atomizing air spaces surrounding said respective inner tubes. See Figure 8. It should be understood that the same form of coupling illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings and just described can be mounted at intervals along the length of the spray line 62 if found desirable.

It will be observed by reference to Figures 6, 'I and l of the drawings that the end portion 80 of the spray tube or line is deflected upwardly and to one side so as to direct the spray from the nozzle forwardly and downwardly over the can body seams in a manner for assuring proper entry of the spray into the longitudinal crevice formed along the seam by the interlocking of the hooks of which the seams are composed. The nozzle unit includes a central bore 68 for centering the inner tube 82, and surrounding bores 89 for suitably directing the atomizing air to the nozzle orifice in the well known manner.

For suitably coupling the container bodies as they pass along through the open skeleton horse comprising the longitudinal rods and rod sections 44 and 45, there is provided an air duct which is disposed centrally below the skeleton horse and extends throughout substantially the full length thereof. This air duct is generally designated 90 and includes a central vertical inlet 9| connected at its lower end with a blower duct 92 and havimg an upper air outlet disposed horizontally directly beneath the axis of the skeleton horse and constricted as at 93 to direct air in a substantially fiat sheet through the skeleton horse and against the side seam portions of the can bodies passing therealong. From the center inlet 9| the bottom portions of the duct 90 slope upwardly toward each end, and the lateral dimensions of the duct correspondingly di- Search Room minish in the manner illustrated in Figure 3 so as to provide a substantially uniform blast of air at all portions along said duct.

A housing or air confining casing surrounds the skeleton horse throughout substantially the whole length thereof and comprises a fixed side 95 and a removable side 96. The removable side 96 has hooks 91 secured thereto and disposed to removably overlie the mounting rod sections 50. An angle channel 98 receives the upper edge of the xed side 95 of the housing in spaced relation to the lower chain guiding trough I9 so as to provide an intervening air discharge space |00. The upper edge of the removable housing side 96 has spacer members |0| aillxed thereto which engage the lower chain guiding trough I9 and hold the edge of the removable housing wall away from said trough, thus providing an air discharge space |02.

As the internally striped can bodies reach the end of the skeleton horse composed of the rods 44 and 45, they are stripped from the lugs of the feeder chain I6 by a rapidly moving, lugequipped strip-off chain |03 and are delivered by the chain |03 onto a suitable feed-off conveyor |04.

A suitable drip pan |05 is mounted beneath the spray nozzle, and an exhaust hood and blower duct |06 is disposed above the spray nozzle to carry off lacquer fumes. A similar exhaust hood and blower duct |01 may be mounted over the feed-off conveyor |04, if desired.

'I'he skeleton horse illustrated in Figure 4 is adapted for use in connection with the internal striping of can bodies of larger sizes. When smaller sizes of can bodies are to be striped, a smaller skeleton horse composed of four or even three can body supporting and guiding rods may be employed.

It will be obvious to those familiar with the art that heat picked up by the can bodies while having the side seams thereof soldered, and which is found objectionable and presents problems in effectirg efcent striping of the side seams interiorly of the can bodies with lacquer or similar protective coating material, will be dissipated while the can bodies are travelling through the skeleton horse composed of the rods 44 and 45 and by reason of the fact that a blast of air is directed against the seams throughout the course of their travel through said skeleton horse. It will be obvious also that the atomizing air duct surrounding the internal lacquer conveying tube will tend to keep the tube cool where it passes over the soldering station.

It is, of course, to be understood that the details of structure and arrangement of parts may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. Apparatus comprising a can body guiding skeleton horse composed of longitudinal members spaced circumferentially about the path of travel of the can bodies, means for hastening cooling of the can bodies while they are travelling along the skeleton horse comprising a blast air duct disposed beneath the skeleton horse and having a continuous air blast discharging throat extending throughout a major part of the length of the horse and restricted in width to approximately can body seam width and lying close along the path of travel of can body side seams for directing a sheet blast of air simultaneously against. a multiplicity of can bodies, and a housing closely surrounding the sides of the skeleton horse and confining a cooling air space for closely surrounding can bodies guided by said horse and having an inlet for receiving the sheet blast of air from the duct and air discharge outlets at the upper portion thereof.

2. Apparatus comprising a can body guiding skeleton horse composed of longitudinal members placed circumferentially about the path of travel of the can bodies, means for hastening cooling of the can bodies while they are travelling along the skeleton horse comprising a blast air duct disposed beneath the skeleton horse and having a continuous air blast discharging throat extending throughout a major part of the length of the horse and restricted in Width to approximately can body seam width and lying close along the path of travel of can body side seams for directing a sheet blast of air simultaneously against a multiplicity of can bodies, and a housing closely surrounding the sides of the skeleton horse and conning a cooling air space for closely surrounding can bodies guided by said horse and having an inlet for receiving the sheet blast of air from the duct and air discharge outlets at the upper portion thereof, said skeleton horse and said housing each having a xedly mounted side and a removably mounted side, and means for removably mounting the removably mounted skeleton horse and housing side portions.

PAUL E. PEARSON. 

